Katy’s Fly-In Restaurant Now Open

New Great Valley Restaurant a Crowd Hit

By Eva Potter

Katy Arena’s food has been the talk of the town since she opened her first restaurant, Katy’s Café, on Washington Street in 2012. And if you loved her first place, you’ll go gaga over her new enterprise, Katy’s Fly-In Restaurant in Great Valley.

Formerly known as the Eddy’s restaurant at 4836 Route 219, Katy’s Fly-In Restaurant is sure to be a local hit, as was evident by the eatery’s popular grand opening on Saturday, Sept. 5.

The two-time Taste of Ellicottville People’s Choice winner for Best Overall Food in 2012 and 2014 has created another award-winning menu sure to please most everyone. It was obvious diners were excited to try something new, as crowds filled the restaurant for breakfast, lunch and dinner over Labor Day weekend, knowing that anything Arena creates is absolutely delicious. But don’t compare Katy’s Café to the Fly-In.

“It’s completely different,” said Arena. “Breakfast is a little more classic diner — fried grits, sausage gravy, hash, pancakes, French toast. Lunch and dinner is a combination menu and there is everything from a regular burger to a specialty half-pound burger to chicken sandwiches, meatloaf, pizza, fried chicken.”

The grand opening on Saturday went well and the Facebook reviews (Katy’s Fly-In) have been nothing short of glowing. But with a new staff and a new kitchen, things aren’t always perfect from the outset.

“It was very, very busy — much more than we expected. There were a few hiccups,” Arena said. “I hope people can be forgiving — we made a few errors. It’s a new restaurant. There’s going to be an issue here and an issue there.”

One hitch came on Sunday when the restaurant ran out of enough lunch and dinner items that they had to close halfway through the day.

“People were ordering burgers nonstop,” she said. “We went through five to six cases of burgers, and we had to shut down because we were out of food. We had plenty of breakfast items, but the dinners and lunches — we just didn’t expect it.”

No worries though. The doors were open once again bright and early the next morning.

According to Arena, the restaurant plans to be open from 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, but these hours may be adjusted.

Katy’s Fly-In offers a clean, fresh interior making it a great place to bring family and friends. The eatery seats approximately 60 and is influenced by an aviation theme. There is an airplane wing hanging from the ceiling along with other rustic aviation decor, according to Arena, and the restaurant has already welcomed patrons who came in by plane from Great Valley Airport.

“It’s casual, family friendly. It’s a really comfortable atmosphere,” said Arena. “Eventually, we’ll have a beer and wine license. We have applied but we haven’t gotten our license yet. We put the old bar from Fosters in and it was refinished. It’s absolutely beautiful!”

If you’re at a loss for what to serve at your next big party or event, Katy’s Fly-In Restaurant also offers catering options. Arena is looking forward to expanding her catering business from her larger kitchen. Give her a call at (716) 265-2040.